IDENTIFICATION AND CDNA CLONING OF NOVEL JUVENILE-HORMONE RESPONSIVE GENES FROM FAT-BODY OF THE BEAN BUG, RIPTORTUS-CLAVATUS BY MESSENGER-RNA DIFFERENTIAL DISPLAY

Juvenile hormone (JH) induces termination of diapause and initiation o f reproductive maturation in the adult female bean bug, Riptortus clav atus. Applying PCR-based differential display, we have identified four novel JH-responsive cDNAs, that is, three repressible (JR-I, 2 and 3) and one inducible (JI-1). These DNA fragments were partially sequence d and compared with sequences in the data base. JR-3 was shown to have similarity to the transferrins of other insects, which have been repo rted as JH-suppressed genes. JI-1 has similarity to vitellogenin of Ae des aegypti. On the other hand, JR-l and 2 have no significant similar ity to other known sequences. For JR-I, the;full cDNA sequence was det ermined: it contained 913 bp, encoding 194 amino acid residues with a calculated M.W. of 21531 Da in the mature protein. A total of six JH-r esponsive genes or cDNAs (four suppressible and two inducible or stimu lated), including the already isolated JH-responsive cyanoprotein gene s (CP-alpha and beta), have been isolated and are available for furthe r comparative analysis of gene structure and regulatory mechanisms in the same tissue under the same hormonal conditions. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.